Sunday, December 2, 2007

Clipse, the Virginia Beach-based rap group whose 2006 album, “Hell Hath No Fury,” ended up on several critics’ best-of-the-year lists, is venturing into a new domain: fashion. The sibling duo Pusha T. and Malice, have officially launched a line called Play Cloths.

Bold, rich colors feature prominently, said Pusha Thursday. He took his scrapbook of inspirations to Virginia designers, who helped him develop the pieces. T-shirts will be the staple of the line initially, with denims, jackets, sweatshirts and knits figuring in later.

“It’s based around the idea of when clothes were collectables,” he said. “It represents youth and influence.”

Clipse, who plan to release an album next summer, said they’ll promote the clothing line at the fashion trade show Magic in Las Vegas in February. Pusha declined to comment on price, but said Play Cloths will only be carried at select boutiques. That’s the same strategy used by their friend and producer Pharrell Williams of Virginia Beach, who oversees the lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.

Williams and Clipse cemented their reputations as trendsetters after they almost single-handedly imported and popularized the Japanese cult clothing brand A Bathing Ape. Clipse copycats became so ubiquitous that their armies of “Mini-mes” inspired the group to write a song, “Mr. Me Too.”

Platinum-selling rap duo the Clipse have inked a deal with Rick Rubin at Sony/Columbia Records. The move cements Columbia 's commitment to a growing urban music roster that includes global phenoms Beyoncé, Prince and Three 6 Mafia. Under the legendary auspices of Rubin, who personally sanctioned the deal, and the fittingly-named A&R rep Hip-Hop--think Jay-Z, Kanye West, —the Clipse are poised to deliver a lethal dose of their ironic, intoxicating mix of metaphor and message.

"I been a fan of the Clipse since I first heard them," asserts Hip-Hop. "And I ain't a fan of too many things. Every song they come with it, lyrically. They were on a real short list when I got to Sony; I was going all the way to make this happen. We trying to be more of an artist-friendly company, and focus on artists we really love. I liked them three years ago, I liked them yesterday, and I feel like they can be a group with a future."

"Volume 1 prepares listeners for what they’re about to hear. Liva delivers a line that basically summarizes the We Got It 4 Cheap ethos: “Liva the hustler, still in my glory and / Cocaine pusher, doors up, I’m DeLorean.” “Coast to Coast” has the four main characters rattling off only a few bars at a time, and the slight change in approach leaves it as one of the best tracks on the first tape." Stylus Magazine

"Volume 2-- the best examples of what a mixtape can be. Bigger than just that new shit you cop from Canal St., these demonstrate that mixtapes, like albums, can be an art form. Mixing, scratching, beat choice, reconfiguring choruses-- all come into play, elevating typical songwriting into philosophical, deconstructionist terms."Pitchfork